The reason the Old Beggar yearned for the Wu Dao Era was to break free from the shackles of Karma and become the master of his own destiny. Many Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs who longed for the Wu Dao Era were the same as him.
Of course.
It couldn't be ruled out that some Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs yearned for the Wu Dao Era purely to cast off the restraints of morality and act as they pleased.
If the one who ultimately ascends to become the True Lord of Original Sin truly aims to become the overlord of all living beings and the myriad things of heaven and earth, then the consequences would be absolutely unimaginable.
To consolidate his hegemony, this overlord would inevitably establish so-called rules. These rules would gradually become so-called Laws, and these Laws would gradually become the so-called Great Dao.
The Great Dao would also gradually evolve into what is today called the Three Thousand Great Daos. At that time, it wouldn't be impossible for Karma and Fate to make a comeback.
In the beginning, this ancient heaven and earth had no Great Dao.
It was a state of chaos.
Only later did the Great Dao gestate and emerge.
The Old Beggar believed that the original intention of heaven and earth gestating the Great Dao might have been benevolent. It was only later that it gradually lost its original flavor, becoming increasingly corrupt. To this day, the so-called Great Dao had long since become a tool for certain individuals to scheme and impose sanctions.
If that was the case, what meaning did the so-called Wu Dao Era even hold?
This was also why the Old Beggar valued Gu Qingfeng's potential to ascend as the True Lord of Original Sin. Based on his years of observation, Gu Qingfeng was a man utterly devoid of ambition, not even a shred of it. He was pure, so pure it was as if the very concept of 'ambition' had never existed within him from birth.
Furthermore.
The Old Beggar believed that if Gu Qingfeng died here, then others—whether those Ancestral Patriarchs who had cultivated their Original Sin Selves or Original Sin Itself, or any so-called Sons of Original Sin, or variables of Original Sin—would find it extremely difficult to ascend as the True Lord of Original Sin.
Even if Original Sin had no choice but to select someone else, there would only be one outcome: whoever Original Sin chose to be the True Lord would die.
"There's no need to be anxious. Just wait," came the cool, clear voice of Empress Blackwater.
The Old Beggar was utterly frantic. "Wait for what? Are we supposed to just watch that kid die here with our own eyes? Or are we waiting for the critical moment to make our move? Empress! The problem now isn't when we should act, but that even if we do act, I'm afraid we won't be able to save that kid."
The Old Beggar understood clearly in his heart. Before this, there might have been quite a few Ancestral Patriarchs like him who supported Gu Qingfeng's bid for the True Lordship from behind the scenes. But as the situation changed, and everyone knew Gu Qingfeng was doomed this time, those who originally supported him would likely all fall silent.
"Who told you the change in Li Palace necessarily refers to the life or death of the Nine Nethers Emperor?"
"If the change in Li Palace doesn't refer to that kid's life or death, then what else could it be?" Hearing Empress Blackwater's words, the Old Beggar found it somewhat laughable. "Are you suggesting that kid won't die this time?"
He shook his head and continued, "You must have also deduced that the change in Li Palace will affect the Original Sin Cataclysm. If that kid doesn't die, it would mean Li Palace won't change, and the Original Sin Cataclysm won't be affected. Do you think that's possible? If that kid weren't going to die, I wouldn't have deduced the change in Li Palace, you wouldn't have deduced it, and no one would have."
As he spoke, the Old Beggar's heart suddenly jolted, thinking of a possibility.
He believed the change in Li Palace must refer to Gu Qingfeng's life or death, but there was a crucial prerequisite: that Gu Qingfeng was indeed the True Lord chosen by Original Sin.
If Gu Qingfeng was never the True Lord chosen by Original Sin, then his life or death would have absolutely no impact on the Original Sin Cataclysm.
The Old Beggar carefully pondered Empress Blackwater's words and asked, "Are you saying that kid was never the True Lord chosen by Original Sin from the start? That he being considered the greatest variable of Original Sin, the one most likely to ascend as the True Lord... all of that is an illusion? The real True Lord of Original Sin is someone else? That kid is merely a pawn to cover for the real True Lord?"
The Old Beggar had also suspected before that Gu Qingfeng might be the Karma incarnation of someone—either of Genggu Wuming or of Venerable Wu Dao.
If he was Genggu Wuming's Karma incarnation, then he was definitely a tool for Genggu Wuming to use against Venerable Wu Dao.
But if Gu Qingfeng wasn't Genggu Wuming's Karma incarnation, but Venerable Wu Dao's, then the meaning of Gu Qingfeng's existence was likely to be a pawn used by Venerable Wu Dao to shield the real True Lord.
Seeing Empress Blackwater remain silent, the Old Beggar clasped his hands and bowed sincerely. "I beseech the Empress to enlighten me and clear my confusion."
A large part of the reason the Old Beggar stubbornly followed Empress Blackwater was because he knew she was more capable than him, knew many things he didn't, and could deduce fates he couldn't.
Unfortunately.
Empress Blackwater rarely told him much.
This time was no exception.
No matter how earnestly the Old Beggar pleaded, Empress Blackwater remained silent from beginning to end.
Just then.
Just then, a series of strange, eerie laughter suddenly echoed through the void. The laughter was sharp and sinister, sending chills down one's spine upon hearing it, like the cawing of a crow perched on a grave mound in the dead of night.
"Jie jie jie jie..."
The sharp, bizarre laughter sounded again. "What a lively scene indeed!"
Accompanied by the eerie laughter, a human figure seemed to descend from the heavens, appearing directly above the Li Palace vortex.
This figure appeared twisted, blurry, and flickering, as if merging with the pervading the sky Original Sin Breath filling the sky, becoming indistinguishable from it. It was as if he was Original Sin, and Original Sin was him.
Anyone with eyes could see that this figure was not merely an Original Sin person, but an old-timer who had cultivated Original Sin Itself!
At this moment.
Although there were countless Original Sin Dharma Bodies present within the area, they were only Dharma Bodies. There were very few Original Sin Selves, which were more powerful than Dharma Bodies, and even fewer who had cultivated Original Sin Itself.
For such an old monster who had cultivated Original Sin Itself to suddenly appear made him particularly conspicuous among the crowd of Original Sin Dharma Bodies.
Everyone also wanted to see who had the audacity to show off at such a critical juncture.
It had to be known that while there were few Ancestral Patriarchs present who had cultivated Original Sin Selves or Original Sin Itself, that didn't mean there were none. More likely, they were mixed in the crowd, hiding, or like the Old Beggar and Empress Blackwater, concealed within Creation Treasures.
Let alone those Ancestral Patriarchs who had cultivated Original Sin Selves or Original Sin Itself, even the Sons of Original Sin, or the variables of Original Sin, none had shown themselves yet.
After all, who knew how many Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs were hidden within those Creation Treasures high in the void? Rumors said that the Peacock Great Emperor, the Changfeng Great Emperor, Fusheng Dijun, the Great Sun Yao Emperor, the Nine Holy Sons of the Holy Lands, the Nine Sons of Heaven of the Heavenly Dao, including the heaven-shielding Xuan Yuan Wuji and the heaven-equal Du Gu Qizhan, had all entered.
Under such circumstances, looking across all the Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs of ancient and present times, who among them, every single one, would dare to show off at such a critical juncture?